Little Warrior
by KatBauer
Summary: The team finds an unexpected surprise while chasing the bad guys (aka Skye finds a kid and she kind of wants to keep him).
1. Chapter 1

"Are you out of your mind?!" Skye nearly yelled at Coulson. "You can't lock him up! He's _a kid_, for god's sake."

"We don't know what he's capable of," Coulson tried to reason with her for the umpteenth time in the past twenty minutes. "And until we do, the best option is to keep him in there."

"The best option for whom?" Skye asked, and when Coulson didn't answer, she huffed, frustrated. "Could you at least let me in? He must be terrified."

"It's not safe," Coulson said.

"He's six years old, Coulson," Skye said, teeth gritted and hands curling into fists. "He's not going to hurt me."

"Sir," Ward finally interjected, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to muster the little patience he had left after a long day. "Maybe if Skye talks to him, we can get some information out of him. Help us figure out what is going on."

Skye was about to protest that the child was not a suspect and therefore, should not be treated as such, but Coulson lifted a finger to silence her before she even got the chance to open her mouth. He considered the suggestion, and after a long minute of silence, he finally nodded.

"You have five minutes," he told her. "If you don't come out by then, I'll send Ward in."

Skye pursed her lips but didn't say anything. She opened the door to the interrogation room and closed it behind her, but not before blatantly glaring at Coulson.

When she turned around, the sight in front of her nearly broke her heart.

The little boy was curled up in a tiny ball in a corner, pressed against the wall, seemingly trying to take up as little space as he could in an attempt to go unnoticed.

Skye approached him slowly, and then sat down on the floor next to him, still leaving some distance between them so as to not scare him.

"Hey," she said softly, and waited until the boy lifted his head and eyed her warily. "I'm Skye," she added with a tentative smile. "You remember me, right? I was the one who found you." When the little boy nodded, Skye took it as a good sign and shifted just a little closer to him. "What's your name?"

"Wyatt," he said, wiping away the tears from his eyes with his sleeve.

"Hi, Wyatt," Skye's smile widened, warm and infectious, causing Wyatt to almost instantly smile back, tears momentarily forgotten.

"Are you okay?" Skye asked, her eyes scanning his tiny body, looking for any possible injuries. "They didn't- They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Wyatt shook his head no.

"Wyatt, I need you to tell me why those men were keeping you in that room," Skye said, and when the little boy tensed, she carefully placed a hand on his knee, giving it a soft, reassuring squeeze. "We just want to help you."

There was a moment of silence as Wyatt seemed to debate with himself whether he should answer or not, until he finally said in a small voice, "It's because of what I do."

Skye blinked. "What you- And what's that?"

The little boy bit his lip and looked up at Skye. "I'm not supposed to tell."

"Well, what if… you show me, instead?" Skye asked.

He looked around the room for a moment, until his eyes landed on a plastic water bottle that Coulson had left on the table.

"Watch this," he said.

He squinted, eyes fixed on the bottle, and for a long moment, nothing happened. Skye was about to ask what she was supposed to be watching, when the bottle shook on its spot, and fell down to the floor.

Skye blinked.

Had he just…

Still, she didn't have enough time to process what had just happened, when suddenly the bottle was floating right in front of her eyes, shaking and tumbling in the air.

Skye's eyes went wide, and she instantly turned to look at the boy sitting next to her, watching intently as he kept squinting, murmuring something under his breath as the bottle slowly but surely began to move towards them.

And just as it had started, it ended when Wyatt let out a soft whimper, and the bottle fell down again, bouncing on the floor a couple of times.

Skye didn't stop to think, she pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. "Wyatt? Are you okay?"

"S- Sorry," he said, voiced muffled against Skye's chest. "I-I'm trying, but it hurts."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Skye said, resting her chin on top of his head and biting her lip, wondering just what kind of people this kid had been with and what kind of things he'd been forced to do.

"You can't tell anyone," Wyatt said, and the sheer terror in his eyes was enough to make Skye's stomach churn in a very unpleasant way.

"I won't," she promised. "It'll be our secret, okay?"

Once Wyatt had calmed down, Skye pulled back and brushed the hair out of his tiny face. "Are you hungry?" she asked, and when he nodded eagerly, Skye chuckled. "How about we go get you something to eat?"

She stood up then, and pulled Wyatt up to his feet, but when she went to open the door, she found the way blocked by both Coulson and Ward.

Wyatt instantly hid behind her, his tiny hand gripping Skye's tightly, and she could feel him trembling slightly against her.

"Skye," Coulson said, warningly. "What's going on here?"

"He needs to eat," Skye said. "I'm getting him out of here."

Ward stayed silent, eyeing the little boy with an expression that attempted to remain neutral and professional, but that hid a hint of curiosity.

"Sir," he said, deciding to intervene once again before things started to get out of control. "She's right, we can't keep the boy locked in a cage. I'll stay with them, make sure no one gets hurt if-" he glanced over at Skye and then back to Coulson. "If something happens."

"Fine," Coulson said, giving in. "But he's your responsibility now. And yours," he added, turning to Ward.

"Come on, buddy," Skye said, gently tugging on Wyatt's hand and leading him to the kitchen area, both of them followed closely by Ward, who didn't take his eyes off the little boy.

Skye easily picked him up and sat him down on one of the stools, shooting a warning glare in Ward's direction before turning to find the things she'd need to make him a sandwich.

Ward wordlessly sat down next to Wyatt, and watched as the boy's eyes remained glued to Skye, anxiously following her every move around the kitchen and only relaxing when Skye finally came back and placed a plate in front of him with the food.

"Skye," Ward said. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"I'll be back," she said to Wyatt, ruffling his hair with a fond smile before following Ward.

"You're getting attached," Ward said. And it was not an accusation, it was just a fact.

"I'm being a decent human being," Skye countered. "He has no one, Ward. No family, no… No friends. He's alone."

Ward's eyes softened at that, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I get it, I do," he said. "But he can't stay, and you know that."

"Did Coulson figure out what to do with him?"

"No, he wants to know why he was there. He thinks these people were keeping him locked up for a reason."

Skye nodded, biting her lip as she glanced over her shoulder at Wyatt, a sad look crossing her face. "He's just a kid," she said, looking back at Ward.

"Hey," he said, his voice barely a whisper as he took a step forward and cupped her face in his hands, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "We won't let anything happen to him. He's safe here."

Skye held his gaze for a moment and slowly gripped his wrists, holding his hands in place while his thumbs tenderly caressed her now flushed cheeks.

"Skye?" said a tiny voice behind her.

Ward's hands instantly dropped to his sides and he awkwardly cleared his throat as Skye turned around to find Wyatt, standing there, hands nervously toying with the cuff of his sleeve.

Skye smiled at him and crouched down, so she could be at his same eye level. "What's up, kiddo?"

"Um… Do I have to- to go back to the blue room?" he asked.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," she answered.

"I don't want to," Wyatt quickly responded, with a small pout.

"He needs a place to sleep," Ward pointed out.

Skye's brow furrowed at that. She was beginning to realize that, maybe, she hadn't thought this through.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are you going?" Ward asked as he watched Skye slid the door to her bunk shut, a pillow and a blanket tucked under her arm.

"Wyatt took my bed, so I'm taking the couch. Or maybe the SUV." Skye shrugged. "I kinda miss my van a bit."

"You can sleep in my bed," Ward offered, and if Skye didn't know better, she could've sworn he sounded almost _shy_.

"Wow," Skye snorted, eyebrows raised. "You could at least buy me a drink, first."

Ward rolled his eyes and gently pried away from her the pillow and the blanket, tossing them both onto the kitchen table. "You know what I meant. Stay in my bunk, I'll take the couch."

"You don't have to. We can share the bed."

"Skye-"

"Come on, we're both grown up people. And besides, I've slept in worse places," she added with a teasing grin.

He grimaced at that, but decided to refrain himself from asking any further questions. Instead, he nodded towards his bunk and then turned around, with Skye silently trailing after him. She climbed into his bed the second he slid the door open and flopped down on it with a tired sigh, burying her face in his pillow.

The moment he lay down next to her, she curled into his side, head resting on his shoulder and an arm draped over his torso, fitting so perfectly well against him that it almost felt like it was supposed to be that way.

He swallowed hard at the thought.

His hand settled on her hip then, his thumb slipping under her shirt to rub soothing circles over the skin as Skye shifted next to him, trying to get closer. The movement caused his hand to bunch up her shirt and land on her waist, his fingertips lightly tickling her and making Skye squirm under his touch.

But she didn't pull away when he began to draw random patterns on her ribcage, or when he moved his hand to her back to trace her spine up and down, leaving a trail of goosebumps as they went.

It wasn't until he felt her lift her head from his chest and prop herself up on her elbow that he finally looked down at her and met her eyes, suddenly extremely aware of just how close they seem to have come to be.

Skye tilted her head up just so, and her lips ghosted across his for a brief moment before she finally made the first move and closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.

His hand slid from under her shirt to thread his fingers in her hair, holding her closer while his other hand cupped her face as he deepened the kiss.

But just when Skye had started to tug on his shirt, a scream pierced through the air, causing them to break apart with a startle, Ward instantly sitting up with all senses alert.

He stood up then, ready to go out and investigate, when Skye suddenly jumped to her feet. "Wyatt," she said as she brushed past him in a hurry.

And sure enough, there she found the little boy, sitting on her bed in a tangled mess of sheets, eyes wild and terrified.

"Mommy! Mommy!" he called, reaching his arms out to her.

Skye rushed to him and pulled him into a tight hug, her heart aching when Wyatt desperately clung to her, burying his face into her chest as he kept calling for his mother.

"It was just a dream," Skye said as she rubbed his back. "I got you."

Meanwhile, Ward stood at the door, arms folded across his chest as he watched Wyatt with an expression that was both sad and concerned, unsure of what he was supposed to do or if he was supposed to do anything at all.

Thankfully for him, Coulson decided to step in at that precise moment, seemingly materializing out of thin air, lips pursed as he stared at both Skye and Wyatt.

"Skye," he said, poking his head into her bunk. "A word, please?"

"Go," Ward said softly when he noticed her hesitation at leaving Wyatt. He sat down next to her and placed a hand on the small of her back, gently nudging her up. "I'll stay with him."

Skye nodded then, and reluctantly pulled herself away from the boy, who stared at her still wide eyed and confused, until Ward gently patted his back. "She'll be back soon," he said, a slight twinge of amusement in his tone when Wyatt's eyes followed Skye until she disappeared from his sight.

"What's up?" Skye asked once they were both out of earshot.

"That's what I would like to know," Coulson answered. "Why are there children screaming at one in the morning on my plane?"

"Child, AC. Just one," Skye said, the corners of her mouth quirked up in a tiny smirk. "I think he had a bad dream."

Coulson sighed. "We need to find his parents," he said. "He can't stay here."

"I thought you said he was safe with us," Skye frowned.

"And he is. But this isn't a nursery, Skye," Coulson said. "And if he is indeed as special as these people seemed to think he is, then this is not the right place for him."

Skye bit her lip then, and when she didn't say anything else, Coulson gave her a thoughtful look. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"No," Skye answered.

"So he hasn't talked to you? Maybe told you something that could help us?"

"Sorry, Coulson," Skye shrugged. "I've got nothing yet."

Coulson nodded, his blank expression giving nothing away and making it impossible for Skye to figure out whether he had bought her lie or not.

"Okay, then," he said after a moment. "Keep me posted. The faster we get the information we need out of him, the sooner we can get this over with."

Skye ran a hand through her hair and slowly made her way back to her bunk, wondering just how was she supposed to keep this secret from everyone else, or even if she should. Maybe the best thing was to come clean and let Coulson handle things.

Or maybe not.

Sliding the door to her bunk open, Skye froze on the spot and her lips slowly curved into a small smile.

Ward was lying on her bed with Wyatt tucked into his side, head on his chest and clutching his shirt tightly in his tiny fist, looking comfortable and peaceful in his sleep whereas Ward was looking like the epitome of awkwardness. When he caught sight of her, he gave her a rather desperate look, silently pleading for help, and Skye chuckled.

Without making a sound, she shut the door behind her, and climbed into bed, curling into Ward's other side as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered, nuzzling her face into his neck and kissing the corner of his mouth before settling down, head on his chest next to Wyatt's.

"He fell asleep on me," Ward said, and even though he seemed a bit uncomfortable, like he had no idea what to do with himself (or with the kid), there was still a hint of awe in his voice that made Skye smirk a little.

"He likes you," Skye whispered in a teasing tone as she looked up at him. "Should I be jealous?"

He chuckled. "He called you _mommy_," he said. "I think he likes you more."

Skye's entire face flushed pink at that and he couldn't help himself, bringing a hand up to run the back of his fingers along her warm cheek.

"He wasn't calling me," Skye said, brushing off the comment. "I think he was actually calling for his mom."

Ward looked down at the sleeping boy and frowned. "We don't even know if she is-" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought just in case Wyatt could hear them, but Skye quickly caught on, and she shook her head in response.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Sleep," was Ward's pragmatic answer as he kissed the top of her head. "We'll figure it out tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

When Skye woke up the following morning, it was late and the bed was empty. She groaned as she glanced over at the clock and then proceeded to bury her head under the pillow for another extra five minutes, before forcing herself out of bed.

She got dressed and just as she was about to open the door, muffled voices came from the kitchen, so she stood there, ear pressed against the door as she listened to the conversation.

"No! You do _not_ touch that!" she heard Fitz nearly yell, and immediately after came Simmons' disapproving voice, chastising him.

"Fitz! Don't yell at him!"

"This is an extremely delicate machine!" Fitz protested. "If you push the wrong button, who knows what might happen."

"Then maybe," came Ward's clearly exasperated voice. "You shouldn't have left it lying around on the _kitchen table_."

Skye snickered at that. She knew that said machine, or whatever the thing they were fighting over was, could not be dangerous, and that Fitz was more than likely just making a fuss over nothing.

She wondered if Wyatt was there with them, as well.

"What does it do?" the little boy asked, and Skye couldn't really hold back a grin.

"It turns little children into green monkeys," Fitz promptly answered, making Skye roll her eyes. Of course he would say something like that just to mess with the poor kid.

"I like monkeys," Wyatt said, and the cheerful tone of his voice told Skye that Fitz's threat had not fazed him whatsoever.

Doing her best to look as casual as possible, she opened the door and stepped into the kitchen, Wyatt's head instantly snapping up the second he heard her. He hopped off the stool he had been sitting on, nearly knocking it over in his haste, and ran up to her.

Skye automatically opened her arms just in time for Wyatt to launch himself at her to give her a tight hug.

"Good morning, Skye!" he said.

"Morning, kid."

She ruffled his hair and then looked over at the other three, who were intently watching the scene with very different expressions on their faces.

Simmons was trying really hard, it seemed, to hide a knowing smile behind her mug as her eyes traveled from Skye to Ward and then back to her, whereas Fitz looked slightly disgruntled still, cradling the small artifact protectively against his chest with one hand while holding a cup of tea with the other.

But it was Ward's look what had her rooted in place. There was a mixture of fondness and sadness swirling in his eyes, along with something akin to _longing_, that was making it nearly impossible for her to tear her gaze away from his.

"Jemma made pancakes for breakfast," Wyatt informed her, effectively snapping her out of her reverie as he grabbed her hand and tugged on it to get her to follow him to the table.

She sat down next to Ward and gave him a grateful smile when he passed her a plate. "Wyatt managed to save these from Fitz," he told her with the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

Skye chuckled when Fitz made a low noise of protest at the comment, and Simmons rolled her eyes at him.

"Seriously, Fitz," she scoffed. "Arguing over _pancakes_ with a small child," she shook her head and, before Fitz had the chance to even try to defend himself, she began to walk away, and he had no choice but to follow her, muttering under his breath.

Ward waited until FitzSimmons were out of sight and then leaned over to kiss Skye's temple, his lips lingering there just a second too long, and making Skye clear her throat as she shot Wyatt a sideway glance.

"He already knows," Ward said, shrugging.

"He-" Skye blinked. "What do you mean, _he knows_?"

Wyatt, who had been silently munching on his food, lifted his head at that and gave Skye a toothy grin. "He likes you," he said, and then he went back to chewing the last bits of his pancake, leaving Skye gaping at him.

"Kids," Ward said, shaking his head as he stood up to put his plate and mug on the sink. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, brow furrowed in thought.

"Coulson said we need to get supplies, seeing as he'll be staying with us for some time," he informed her. "We should make a short trip to the mall. Grab what we need and leave as fast as possible."

"Can I come?" Wyatt chimed in, looking at Skye with big, hopeful eyes.

Skye looked up at Ward, unsure of what to answer, and he frowned.

"If you're gonna buy me stuff, I have to go," Wyatt pointed out.

"Crowded place, multiple exits," Skye said, still looking at Ward. "We should be fine, right?"

Ward pursed his lips as he thought it over, and slowly nodded. "Alright, but I'm taking an ICER with me. I'm not taking any risks."

**xxx**

"Skye," Ward whispered into her ear, casually placing a hand on the small of her back. "We've been made."

She turned to look at him, eyes wide and panic rising in her chest as she instinctively pulled Wyatt closer to her, dropping the clothes she had been holding until that moment.

Of course something like this would happen. It seemed that asking for just one peaceful day was simply too much. They had only been inside the store for less than forty minutes, when Ward had spotted a one extremely suspiciously looking guy, pretending to peruse through some clothes near them. And his suspicion had been confirmed when he caught a glimpse of the gun he was trying, and failing, to hide inside his jacket.

When Ward tilted his head in the direction of the closest exit, Skye quickly understood the signal and she nodded once before kneeling down and placing her hands on Wyatt's shoulders. "Stay close," she told him, giving his shoulders a reassuring squeeze when his eyes widened in fear. "And don't let go of my hand, okay?"

"Skye, we have to go. _Now_," Ward said, jaw clenched and eyes fixed on the other side of the store while his hand reached for the ICER in his holster, ready to shoot if necessary.

Skye stood up then, and took one of Wyatt's tiny hands in hers, her heart clenching painfully when she realized the little boy was trembling slightly against her side.

"Come on, kiddo," she said softly, following Ward closely as they made their way towards the nearest exit.

They had barely managed to reach the hall that led to the emergency exit, when two gunshots resonated through the store, and after that, it all became a blur of screams and people panicking as they hurried to leave the place as fast as possible. As they got closer to the door, Skye heard Ward yelling her name, and when she turned her head, glancing over her shoulder, all the blood drained from her face when he spotted him, not too far from where they were, struggling with the man while trying to take the gun away from him.

She hurriedly pushed Wyatt out of the door, but they hadn't made it very far when they suddenly bumped into two other men, who had been obviously waiting for them outside. Skye let out a curse under her breath when she realized that it had all been a trap, a distraction, and that in their haste to get out of the store, they had completely fallen for it.

"Hand the boy over, and we will let you walk away," one of them said, gun pointed at her head, while the other took a step forward, reaching for Wyatt.

Skye rolled her eyes at the blatant lie, and shifted her stance, hiding Wyatt behind her. She felt his tiny hand, gripping at the hem of her shirt and tugging at it.

"Not a chance," she answered, gritting her teeth.

A quick assessment of the situation told her that she was in no position to disarm the man, since the other one would, without a doubt, shoot her on the spot before she could even move.

Well, it was still worth trying.

But before she could even finish that thought and make a decision, the door behind them swung open and immediately after, the man standing before her crumpled to the floor when Ward shot him with the ICER straight on the chest.

The other one recovered fairly quickly from the surprise, but just as he aimed his gun at Ward, ready to shoot, it flew out of his hand in one swift movement as if pulled by some invisible strings, hitting an adjacent wall and falling onto the ground, conveniently landing right next to Ward's foot.

His eyes widened in shock just for a split second, before he took advantage of the situation, shooting the still astonished man, and knocking him unconscious.

"You okay?" he asked, slightly breathless as he turned to look at Skye and Wyatt, who was now peering curiously from behind her, all traces of fear seemingly gone from his eyes.

She nodded. "You?"

"Good," he answered, scanning their surroundings, looking for any other possible threats. "What happened?"

"We were ambushed."

"No, what happened with his gun?"

When he was met with nothing but silence from Skye, he frowned.

"Skye?"

"It was me," a tiny voice came from behind her, and Wyatt slowly stepped aside, as he gave Ward a guilty look. "I did it."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I didn't forget about this story, I've just sort of run out of ideas? But I have every intention of finishing it, I promise. In the mean time, and to make up for the super long wait, here, have some fluff.

* * *

"What the hell happened back there?!"

"We were ambushed."

"Yes, that much is clear. What I would like to know is _how_ did you let that happen!"

"It was my fault, sir," Ward said, taking a small step forward after glancing at Skye. "I was reckless, and I got distracted."

"I was there, too, remember?" Skye pointed out with a roll of her eyes. "Wyatt was with me."

By now, Coulson was pinching the bridge of his nose, gathering whatever was left of his already scarce patience. So when Ward opened his mouth to argue with Skye, he immediately shot him a glare, and Ward's mouth snapped shut again.

"I do not need to repeat how imperative it is that we keep Wyatt safe and away from these people, do I?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Then next time you decide to take him out on a shopping trip, take May with you."

Ward grimaced at that, but Skye grabbed his arm and dragged him out of Coulson's office before he even had the chance to protest. A confrontation was the last thing they needed right now.

"Thank you," Skye said once they were out in the hall. "For not saying anything about Wyatt."

"We're going to talk about that," Ward said. "Later," he added.

Skye nodded in silence, and followed him down the stairs and into the lab, where they had left Wyatt under Simmons' supervision while they were dealing with Coulson.

The moment they entered the lab, Wyatt turned on the stool where he was sitting and, holding his arms out in their direction, he said, "Help me! She won't stop poking at me!"

"It was only _twice_!" Jemma scoffed as she out down the stethoscope. "I was only making sure you were alright!"

Skye smirked, knowing full well what it was like to be on the receiving end of Jemma's poking and prodding for science.

But before she could get anywhere near Wyatt, Ward had already beat her to it, and had picked up the little boy, setting him down on the floor and shaking his head when he quickly hid from Jemma behind his legs.

Ward awkwardly patted his head in what he hoped was a comforting gesture, and tried to move, but Wyatt seemed to had gotten permanently attached to him.

"Skye?" Ward called, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"Hey, come here, buddy," Skye said, opening her arms, and when Wyatt instantly let go of Ward and ran up to her, she picked him up with ease. "It's bed time for you."

"I'm not a baby," Wyatt protested, brow furrowed in disgust.

"Wait!" Jemma said. "I'm not finished yet!"

"Simmons, he's been here for like an hour, give him a break," Skye said, ruffling Wyatt's hair when he leaned his head on her shoulder and yawned.

"Fine, but do let me know if he's not feeling well."

"You sure you can take him upstairs?" Ward asked with concern, placing a hand on the small of Skye's back to keep her steady.

"Yep, I'm good," Skye answered, tightening her hold around Wyatt just for good measure as they climbed up the spiral staircase. "He's not that heavy."

"Skye," Wyatt mumbled while Skye was tucking him into bed, in her bunk. "Can I show Ward what I can do?"

Skye blinked down at him, surprised, and then looked up at Ward, who was leaning against the wall, watching them intently.

"You don't have to-"

"But I want to," he insisted.

Ward pushed himself off the wall and slid the door shut before sitting down next to the little boy. "I'm listening," he said simply.

Wyatt looked around the small bunk until his eyes settled on the tiny Hula doll on the window, and with a serious, determined look, he scrunched up his tiny face and very slowly at first, began to pull the doll towards them.

The moment the doll was left suspended in mid air, Skye's eyes fixed on Ward, but his face was a blank mask, while his gaze went from Wyatt to the toy and then back to the boy.

He extended his hand and instantly the doll fell on his open palm.

"How long have you been able to do that?" Ward asked, returning the doll to its place on the window.

Wyatt shrugged. "Since forever?"

"Does it hurt?"

"A little, but I'm getting better!"

There was a moment of silence as Ward and Skye exchanged a look before he turned his attention back to Wyatt.

"You're not scared?" Wyatt asked, wringing his hands nervously.

"No, of course not. I've seen worse."

Skye's eyebrows shot up at that, and she whacked him on the arm, her lips curving up into a tiny smirk when she heard Wyatt giggle.

"Seriously, Ward? _You've seen worse?_"

"What? All I'm saying is, I don't think it's weird," he said, reaching over to ruffle Wyatt's hair, like he had seen Skye do. "You saved Skye's life today, and mine. You were brave."

Wyatt's entire face lit up at that, and he beamed, proud. He threw himself into Ward's arms, almost knocking him over, and wrapped his arms tightly around his neck.

Skye had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at Ward's confused and panicked face as he awkwardly patted the little boy's back, and then scowled at Skye when she mouthed "hug him back."

But he did, holding Wyatt for a moment longer, before he cleared his throat and Wyatt quickly jumped back to bed, a huge grin plastered on his face as he curled up in a tiny ball under the covers.

"Call if you need anything, okay?" Skye said when she flickered the lights off and leaving the door half shut, just in case.

"You okay over there?" she asked with a crooked smirk, turning to Ward. "He didn't break you, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Skye."

"Well, good, because he really likes you."

"I still think he likes you more."

"Are we seriously going to argue about this?"

"No," he said, hooking his fingers in the belt loops of her jeans and pulling her closer. Without missing a beat, Skye placed her hands on his chest and leaned up, brushing her lips against his in a soft kiss.

"So… Wyatt has my bunk, _again_. And I'm kind of homeless for tonight," she said, biting down on her bottom lip and looking up at him through her lashes. "Wanna help a girl out?"

"Is that your subtle way of asking if you can sleep with me?" he asked with a chuckle, twirling a strand of her hair with his finger.

"I'm not being subtle," she said. "Can I sleep with you? I mean, I could sleep in the SUV, but-"

"Skye," he cut her off with a kiss on her nose. "Yes."

**xxx**

Hearing soft footsteps coming down the stairs, Ward stopped punching the bag and steadied it with his hands before turning to look at whomever was coming. It was nearly one in the morning and everyone was (supposedly) asleep, so he was surprised to find Wyatt standing there and watching him with big, curious eyes.

"What are you doing up?" he asked with a frown.

"I can't sleep," Wyatt answered. "What are _you_ doing up?"

"I can't sleep, either."

Wyatt's eyes scanned the cargo bay then, and when they landed on the bag hanging from the roof, he pointed at it. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

Ward's frown deepened. "Why?"

"If I know how to punch the bad guys, maybe they won't try to find me again," Wyatt said, and for some reason, it made sense to Ward.

"Alright, come here."

With a face splitting smile, Wyatt bounced his way to the punching bag and watched as Ward pulled some extra tape and gauze from his duffel bag. He then crouched down in front of the little boy and took one of his tiny hands in his.

"You have to wrap your hands first," he explained, fighting the urge to smile when Wyatt nodded with a deadly serious look on his face. "So you won't get hurt."

Once Wyatt's hands were properly wrapped and Ward had checked them at least twice to make sure, he proceeded to show him how he had to stand and how to throw punches, and as Wyatt tried his best, he kept reminding him every once in a while to keep his hands up.

They kept it up for a while, and Ward had to admit he was genuinely impressed by how good of a student Wyatt was turning out to be. The little boy was picking things up pretty fast.

He was so focused watching him, that he completely missed it when Skye came down the stairs and, crossing her arms across her chest, cleared her throat to get their attention.

He spun around, startled, while Wyatt stopped for a moment to give her a sheepish smile.

"What is going here?"

"Ward is teaching me to punch stuff!" Wyatt said cheerfully.

Skye arched one disapproving eyebrow in Ward's direction, and then it was his turn to look sheepish.

"He wanted to learn," he said lamely.

"And you let him? _He's six_, Ward. He could hurt himself."

"He's fine, he's actually really good at it," Ward said, and instantly winced under Skye's death glare, clearly having said the wrong thing.

"You," Skye said, pointing at Wyatt. "To the showers, now."

"But, Skye-"

"_Now_," she repeated, and with a defeated sigh, Wyatt obediently lifted his hands so Ward could unwrap them.

"We'll go on tomorrow," Ward whispered in a conspiratorial voice, making sure that Skye couldn't hear him.

Wyatt nodded eagerly and then traipsed up the stairs, followed by Skye.

"I like Ward," he mused as Skye handed him a towel and gently pushed him inside the bathroom. "He's good."

She shook her head, not even bothering in trying to hide the huge grin on her face.

"Yeah, he's okay."


	5. Chapter 5

When Coulson entered the command center that afternoon, the first thing he noticed was the deep, uncharacteristic frown on Skye's face as she studied the screen in front of her. Ward's furrowed brow also didn't go unnoticed, and neither did the way he seemed to be hovering protectively over Skye.

"Skye," Coulson regarded her. "Please tell me you've found something."

"I found Wyatt's parents," she said, and Coulson's eyes widened just a fraction in surprise.

"Turns out," Skye explained. "The algorithm I was using was wrong. Well, not exactly _wrong_, more like limited. So I expanded the search parameters, and I got this," she said, pointing to the screen.

"His father is dead," Ward said, his face a blank mask that showed no emotion whatsoever. "And his mother, too. Presumably."

"Presumably?"

"There's no death certificate to prove it," he said.

"It's like she fell off the face of the earth," Skye said. "Her father, who's the only family she had, filed a missing person report about six years ago."

"That's odd," Coulson said, staring at the screen with his arms folded across his chest. "That's almost-"

"Wyatt's age? Yeah, and it gets weirder," Skye said, tapping on the table to pull up another image, and sending it to the big screen. "Last time someone reported seeing her, or someone that looked like her, was three years ago, in Argentina. But the police did not follow the lead because they claimed it was _out of their jurisdiction_," Skye scoffed, doing the quotation marks with her fingers.

"Do we at least have an address?"

"Not yet," Skye said, a twinge of frustration in her voice. "I'm still working on it."

Coulson nodded thoughtfully, but when his eyes landed on Ward, who had remained oddly quiet almost the entire time, he was met with a silent plea that he understood immediately.

"Skye," Coulson said, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Take a break, you've been working all night."

"I'm fine," she said stubbornly. "I'll take a break when I find her."

"It was not a suggestion, it was an order," Coulson said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Ward, I trust you'll make sure she doesn't spend the rest of the day glued to the screens."

"I'll do my best. But she's not exactly good at following orders, sir."

"Guys, I'm _right here_," Skye protested, mildly offended and waving a hand in front of Ward's face. He swiftly caught her hand and, after linking their fingers together, he pulled their joined hands behind his back.

"Where's Wyatt?" Coulson suddenly asked, just as he was about to leave the room.

"Downstairs with FitzSimmons, sir."

"Is that safe?"

Skye opened her mouth to answer, but Coulson thought better of it, and holding up his hand, he shook his head. "You know what, don't answer that. Just keep me posted if you find anything else."

Skye saluted him with her free hand and then turned her attention back to the table while trying to tug her other hand free from Ward's grasp. But he tightened his hold on it, and gently pulled her to him and away from the table.

"You need to get some sleep," he said.

"I need to find her, or an address, or _something_ that can lead us to-"

But the rest of the words died on her lips when Ward unexpectedly kissed her forehead and then hugged her to his chest. "Sleep," he whispered in her ear. "And _then_ you can keep working."

There was a moment of silence before Skye tilted her head up and, biting her lip, she asked, "Can I borrow your bed?"

**xxx**

When Skye woke up, it took her a moment to remember where she was, and it took her even longer to remember how the teddy bear currently sitting on the pillow had managed to get there, since she was almost positive that Ward did not own any stuffed animals.

_Almost_, being the key word.

It wasn't until she saw the big W embroidered on the bear's tiny shirt that she put two and two together, realizing that Wyatt had probably snuck into Ward's bunk at some point, and left his teddy with her.

Hugging it to her chest, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to figure out how long exactly she had been out, though judging by the darkness that was currently enveloping the bunk, it had been quite a few hours.

That thought alone was enough to make her groan and jump out of bed, mentally kicking herself for losing so much time when she could've been working, instead.

Sliding the door open, she stepped into the kitchen area and when she didn't find anyone there, she went straight to the command center. And sure enough, there she found not only Ward, but also Wyatt, who was sitting on top of the table, legs swinging idly as he intently watched something Ward was showing him on a tablet.

Not wanting to interrupt, Skye stayed in the shadows, watching the two of them interact and listening to their conversation.

"I've never been there," Wyatt was saying. "But it's pretty."

"Maybe you don't remember?"

"No, I'm sure I would," the little boy said. "But I've never seen those things, before. What are they?" he said, pointing to the tablet.

"The mountains?" Ward asked, perplexed. "You've never seen mountains before?"

Wyatt shook his head no and then shrugged. "I don't think so. I only remember my room in the gray building."

"The one where Skye found you?"

"Yeah."

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Skye clutched the teddy bear tighter, and after taking a deep breath, she walked into the room, smiling widely when Wyatt's tiny face lit up instantly the moment he saw her.

Before he could jump off the table and hurt himself, Ward picked him up and set him down on the floor with an eye, pretending to find the whole situation exasperating, but the amused grin tugging at the corners of his lips betrayed him.

"I found this teddy bear when I woke up," Skye said as she crouched down to be at Wyatt's eye level. "Funny, I don't remember Ward having one of these."

"It's mine!" Wyatt said with a grin. "May gave it to me."

"May?" Skye's eyebrows shot up.

Wyatt nodded. "It helps me sleep, so I thought it would help you, too." Chewing worriedly on his bottom lip, he asked, "Was that wrong?"

"What? No, of course not," Skye said, pulling him into a hug, the way his small arms instantly wrapped around her neck when he hugged her back making her chest feel oddly tight. "Thank you," she murmured. "It helped a lot."

When Wyatt finally let go, and Skye gave him his teddy bear back, she looked up at Ward, cocking her head in the screen's direction.

"Please tell me you found something while I was passed out?"

"We got it," he said with a nod.

"Oh, thank god."

"What did you find?" Wyatt asked, tugging on Skye's shirt, eyes darting from Ward to Skye and back to Ward, and then to the big screen. He squinted at it, trying to make sense of all the images and words, but Ward promptly turned it off before he could process any of the information.

"Dinner time," he said when Wyatt began to protest. "It's your turn to get FitzSimmons out of the lab," he reminded him, trying, and failing, to hide a smirk when Wyatt groaned.

"But they never wanna come out, and it takes _forever_!"

Ward shrugged. "Sorry, buddy. Rules are rules."

Wyatt wrinkled his nose in distaste of said rules, but still did as he was told, and marched downstairs, teddy bear and all.

"Looks like I missed some serious bonding time," Skye smirked, turning to Ward once Wyatt was out of sight.

He made a face, but instead of answering, he handed her the tablet. "We got a location about two hours ago. May already set a course and we're en route," he explained while Skye looked at the map on the screen. "Some town in the south of the province, kind of a secluded place, small population. Good place for someone who's looking to go unnoticed."

"Anything on her?"

"No. There's only been one report, and that's the one you found earlier. There's no guarantee we will find her, but Coulson thinks it's worth checking anyway."

When Skye didn't answer, eyes still glued to the tablet as she kept staring absentmindedly at it, Ward stepped closer, his fingers gingerly grasping her chin and tilting her face up.

"Hey," he said softly. "We'll find her."

"I know, and that's exactly what worries me."


End file.
